OOTD: Shirtdress front

Shirtdress is from Ross. I purchased two of the for$11.00, top that.

Sandals- Coach.

OOTD: Seaching for job #2's holiday party dress.

With my shopping endeavor to find something to wear to my office party, I had quite a dilemma on my hands. Just a quick background for you, I am one of the hottest girls at the hotel I work at. If this was high school, I'd be voted best dressed. People I work with are always complementing my fashion sense & they told me that they were waiting to see what I'd wear to this party. There are some trolls that I work with as well & they have perfected the art of hating, so you know I had to outdo them. I was left with the challenge of finding something that was unique & equally stunning.

I found a couple of dresses, especially from Jessica McClintock's collection (which costs my firstborn child) & was dismayed by a couple of sorry excuses for frocks- ones I wouldn't wear if someone simply handed them to me free of charge. At the first attempt, I found this great dress (the one I ended up purchasing) purple, satin fabric, with a one shouldered style (spaghetti strap on the opposite shoulder) and the one shoulder had a pleating detail both there and on the skirt. I'll upload more pictures as I get to a computer of me in the Jessica McClintock dresses, (yes I photograph everything, circa Cher in Clueless) especially the one that stole my heart as I looked at it on display. I am thoroughly convinced- Macy's planned to take my soul & their approach was flawless. The hunt was only extended to Macy's since I needed to use my Macy's card to purchase. This dress deserves an adequate description since at $189 USD, it was absolutely stunning. A one shouldered, metallic a-line cocktail dress with somewhat of a floral garland on said one shoulder. Everything in me "buy it" but my wallet screamed "don't kill me". When I came back down to reality, I realized that the purple dress was not only elegant but semi- affordable at $80 USD & this was what I debuted.

iWant: Next on my hitlist. Pump it up.

Pumps. Bakers.
I saw these when shopping for my office Christmas party & yes, I had to blog about them. I mean they totally warrant a blog in their honor. They are so effing classy & edgy at the same time. I was actually walking by Bakers & happened to look in the window & on the mannequin's feet, I saw them, looking hot as ever. They served their purpose & drew me into the store. When I fit them on they were actually comfortable (without the Dr Scholls insoles that usually save me) & the price was a bit heinous (a whopping 80 USD) but they were versatile enough to be worn many times. The finish on the shoe is a fushia suede & the thing that caught me was the cut of the front of the shoe. Just sexy. This its definetly next on my hitlist.

OOTD: Holiday party dress. Detail.

OOTD: Thermal wear close up

Lookbook: Shades of Purple

Urban Decay

Lookbook: Green streak

Urban Decay
MAC

OOTD: Cold day = simple thermal wear

Thermal. Miley to the Max (by way of WalMart)

Scarf. Plato's Closet

Jeans. PacSun.

Boots. Traffic

Rant: Nude is the New Black.

Nude is the new black. Plain and simple. In the 90's you could pretty much get away with wearing black shoes with everything but now, now you have this trend where instead of choosing something to match the colors in your outfit, you go completely neutral. I have this rule that if you can wear something with black, brown, navy blue & white- it's a staple. Versatile pieces like this are worth being invested in because, with that rule of thumb, you will be able to wear it more times than anything else in your wardrobe.

Shoes.
Nude shoes- heels to be exact, are great when it comes to business, semi-formal to formal wear. They're great in patent finish or matte, depending on what you prefer. I'm a huge fan of patent (even my wallet is patent) finish so that's what I opted for, but I'm glad they have options for everyone. The nude heel is the new 'little black dress' of your shoe collection.  They allow a classy finish and direct your eyes upward to the outfit. They act like a chamelion, virtually going with everything and anything.

Makeup.
Likewise, with makeup, Nude lips are becoming as frequent as the smoky eyes. They too can go with most makeup motifs and look great with any outfit on anyone. I usually measure trends started by and popular with the Caucasian population by the way it works with my brown skin. I've tried this and it seriously transforms your face. A nude colored lipstick with a clear gloss slicked over it has worked with all the eye makeup combinations and outfits that I've thrown at it and with a clean finished face (I use powder because I'm shiny) it makes for a really great, fresh look.

Nude will probably be here to stay for a while so if you haven't hopped on the bandwagon yet, we're all waiting for you.

Rant: In light of recent weight loss...

In light of recent weight loss, I have realized that I can now bring my zeros out of hiding. I'm super excited because I literally have an ENTIRE wardrobe based on the fact that I was thin & alone. I will do my best to keep my weight off so that the dreaded muffin top never makes an appearance in this blog... ever again.

I lost eight pounds during the course of my vacation, partially to upset stomach, partially to heartbreak, but I've always said heartache blows but it's the best thing for me when I want to lose weight. I'm excited, just thought I would share.

Review: Urban Decay Book of Shadows III

Urban Decay: Book of Shadows III

I realized that there was a need for primer, eyeliner & eyeshadow at the same time so I went over to Sephora & looked for a pallete that would suit me. My brown skin poses a challenge as I need truer pigments. so that they come out boldly against my skin. I also figured since I needed eyeliner & primer, I might as well buy a kit & holiday season usually brings them with decent prices.

A while ago I purchased the Sephora Mascara Deluxe Sampler & there are a few brands that I really respected as far as mascara goes so I went to those brands first. Smashbox, Urban Decay & Benefit made the cut so I went there first. Smashbox didn't have what I was looking for. Their colors were bold but the largest quantity I could get was a quad. Benefit was more disappointing since bold colors were nowhere in sight. So I made my way to Urban Decay & saw several options that were in the same ballpark of what I wanted.

Urban Decay sells several collections, some with 8 colors, some with 12 colors and the big guns with 16 colors. I deliberated between the Black collection (for smoky eyes) but it didn't bring eyeliner & I already have several smoky palletes from Physician's Formula. Then I saw the Book of Shadows III- the motherload, exactly what I wanted. This brings bold, vibrant colors, primer, and two eyeliners. I felt a little guilty spending 60$ on this but then I realized 16$ primer, 18$ Eyeliner & a 32$ Eyeshadow palette would be 66$ so in reality I would have spent more buying them separately. Can't wait to upload my experimentations with this!

Rant: Mismatching

I was walking through Downtown Disney & drinking everything in. I love Disney, I never went as a child so when I'm in Orlando now, I try to go at least once. I walked by this store & noticed that all the mannequins were wearing different socks with a decal over the window reading "Make your own style". Now I'm all for people being individuals & expressing themselves but this whole mismatching epidemic is awful. Its not okay that Disney is encouraging children not to match! Its bad enough that when they dress themselves that they demonstrate the coordinating abilities of a colorblind (or just blind) person, but encouraging them to put on anything as long as its colorful is a travesty to our generation.

Today's magazines aren't making it any better as they encourage you to throw any patterns together. I'm adventurous & will try anything magazines throw out there (and twice if I like it) but when I saw that this was the new trend, so to speak, the word "Hobo" flashed across my mind. Everything in me screamed at the heinous thought of going out in public like this. I know we're in a recession but that's no excuse to dress like we're homeless. I'm supposed to blindfold myself, reach into my closet & pull out the first two things, regardless of color & pattern? I don't think so.

OOTD: Changing it up with some boots

I'm on vacation in Orlando & like an idiot, packed one of my black boots. So the second night I was here, a cold front had me looking through my suitcases frantically for my boots, upon which I could only find one foot & had to buy another pair of boots to protect my feet from that weather. This photo was actually taken in Miami (I had to go home for a night to take care of some things) & I decided to switch it up from the usual uniform of sandals & it made the difference. Apparently, boots change an entire outfit.

Cardigan.
Macy's. This is what made the look classy.

Top.
Forever 21.
I also have this in blue as well.

Shorts.
Ross. They're all baggy now that I lost weight.

Boots.
Traffic. Newest addition.

OOTD: A summer take on UO sweater

Front View

Side View

Living in Miami has its advantages. In mid October, I was able to walk outside in this outfit & break into a sweat on the way to the car. Definetly wearing sandals while most people in the country are wearing boots and freezing their asses off. Yes, I'm laughing at you, America.
Top. 
Urban Outfitter (by way of Plato's closet) This sweater was a definite must from the first time I saw it. It's an off the shoulder sweater with graphics that resemble a side tattoo along the left arm & side. I have gotten lots of compliments on this top. One guy from my job even tried searching it on eBay to buy it for his girlfriend. Love this. I wear it in any weather. This is just how I wear it at home.

Jeans.
Armani Exchange (by way of Plato's) These were classy enough & the right wash to wear with this to keep up with the feel of the sweater.

Sandals.
Coach. Staple.

OOTD: Fail from the calves down.

Head to Toe Example of the Fail.

A closer look at the top.

There is always that one day when you know that you've made the wrong decision once it's too late to change. I live 30 mins away from my job so I shouldn't have ignored that nagging feeling I had that morning. I had on some suede BC loafers that would've been 10 times cuter and I literally changed right before I left. Now, seeing the proof in pictures, I know the next time I wear this outfit, I'm going to put this with different shoes.

Top.
Forever XXI. Bought for Easter one year but it has this great pleather flower detail, which sold me on the top.

Cardigan.
Target. Threw this over the top to hide my bra (couldn't find the right one that day)

Jeans.
PacSun. They are Hermosa cut black jeans. Greatest invention ever.

Boots.
Traffic.So much cuter with other stuff.

OOTD: The challenge of a long Button down.

Frontal View.

Side View

Back View

First time wearing this combo. I have this extra long button down from Express (they went through one of those shirtdress phases a couple of years ago) and originally purchased it because I thought I could possibly wear it as a dress. It has always been a challenge to see what to put on top of this top to really make it sing. I've tried different things like belting it with both broad & skinny belts and other vests with it but this vest is the only one that brought out the classy quality of the top & played off of the length.

Top.

Express. The buttery yellow color is what sold me on this top. I believe it was on clearance when purchased.

Vest.

Forever XXI. I bought this when vests were super popular & I decided that I was going to have a shopping spree on my credit card. I literally just picked up one of every vest in Forever XXI. (This is back when I had no self control when it came to retail.) I hardly wear this vest so it was just something that I tried on with this top in frustration & it worked.

Jeans.

Guess (by way of Plato's closet) Staple. These are literally my new favorite jeans.

Shoes.

Steve Madden. Staple. These heels have definitely affirmed my belief that nude is the new black.

Halloween 2010: Year of the Ringleader *Finished Product*

Before heading out to work.

Back View

My & my crazy coworkers

A better look at my vest

How I wore it to the club.

Okay, now that Halloween is finally over... I have the finished photos.There were two ways that I wore it, though I loved the PG version more... less is more. For the club on Saturday, I opted for a tank with ruching detail on the front (Forever XXI) and for work on Sunday I wore an Express button down under the vest which produced a more streamlined silloutte.

In case you're interested in where I got everything and how I did it here's the process blogpost.

Halloween 2010: Hair & Makeup fit for a Ringleader

Driving to Work

The way I did it for the club

For the overall makeup, I knew that I wanted to have the red lips- that was a given. For the eyes, I wasn't sure whether to go with a smoky eye for a candy colored eyelid. I went with the smoky eye because I was afraid that paired with the red lips, the candy colored would make me look more circus... Like a clown. Luckily, I have a smoky pallette in my Caboodle so the challenge was the lips. I had to find a red lipcolor in CVS because my job screwed up my schedule so that I couldn't go to MAC like I wanted to. So I started looking through the brands and after ending up with a red sticky hand, I just ended up getting the color from the collection Beyonce endorses.

For the hair, I wanted ringlet curls, but since I'm pretty much only handy with a flat iron I ended up side sweeping it into a slicked back ponytail with a sidepart. That worked for Saturday night because it was hot as  hell in the club. On Sunday, to work I attempted to curl it with my sister's curling iron but that also proved to be an epic fail. Lol at least my hair was decent enough to be let down.

Eyes
Shadow. Physician's Formula Baked Smokes Pallette
Liner. Revlon ColorStay in Black
Mascara. combo between Smashbox Lash DNA (for girth) & Urban Decay Mascara. (to lift & separate/also on bottom lashes)

Lips
Loreal Infallible Lipcolor in Rebel Red

Face
MAC StudioFix in NW 43

OOTD: Friday at the office

Cardigan
XOXO (by way of Macy's)
I took this cardigan out of hiding- it was actually missing a button. Sigh, I love repairing clothing because then I feel like I have a new article of clothing to work with. It's so empowering.

Top
Ross
No brand name really. I bought this shirt from the maternity section! I bought it one day before going over to the restaurant- as is my story with basically most of my black shirts. I love it it has that strange pregnant shape though.

Jeans
Guess
My new favorites lol

Shoes
Nine West
Staple. Brought these out to play

OOTD: Another take on my new skirt.

Everyone on Fashism.com was bagging on how I put a dark top with this skirt & I must admit, I like this look a LOT better.

Cardigan
XOXO (by way of Macy's)

Lookbook: simple

Eyes
Inner corner/lid- Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Luminous eyeshadow in Glow Nude
Crease- Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Luminous eyeshadow in Plum Passion
Browbone- Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Wet/dry eyeshadow in Crystal Ball
Eyeliner- Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner in Teal
Mascara- Tarte Mascara in Waterproof Black

Lips
MAC Lipglass in Fancy Cat (Feline Collection.)

Face
MAC StudioFix Powder in NW 43
Applied with brush

OOTD: What I ended up wearing to the wedding

Dianne stepped in & came with me to the wedding because my sister went out of town.

Added this shot because I don't look like a heffer here.

 

I'm horrid & sweating by then but at least you can see the dress and the shoes in this shot.

Original post

This is what I ended up wearing to Monica's wedding. I never wear strapless dresses but the color was great and I was looking for something other than black. I didn't want to be That Girl wearing black at someone else's wedding and I have enough black dressses to last me a lifetime. I bought the shoes first that day. I saw them in Macy's while picking up Monica & Trevor's wedding gift & knew that they were THE shoes. The challenge after that was to find a non-black dress with a material I preferred (here meaning satin or silky) I searched Macy's &  two Ross stores (yes I shop heavily at Ross for formal dresses- they usually have a unique collection.) At the last store, two hours before I had to be ready, I found this dress on the second fitting and it fit. I bought it and here is the finished product.

Lookbook: A full face of Makeup

A smile for a job well done.

A side view of the eyeshadow

Full face including concealer.

Face

MAC StudioFix in NW43 or NW45

Concealer in the same color.

Eyes

Did a smoky eye on my shadow. 

Inner Lid- MAC Custom shade (created by a friend who works there) the color is a bronzish pink.

Corner- MAC in a custom shade. This color on the corners is a greenish copper (almost like a oxidized penny)

Browbone-Victoria's Secret Wet/Dry eyeshadow in Cappuccino

Eyebrows- Revlon Eybrow Pencil in Dark Brown

Mascara- Smashbox Lash DNA in Blackest Black

Lips

MAC Lipglass in Jealous

OOTD: Debut of my marvelous new cardigan

Ugh! These pictures suck! I was hoping they were a little better but of course they were taken in a hurry in the morning as I was late to work.

Here are some from my phone:

Cardigan.

Macy's

I purchased this because as you know, all of my cardigans, (save my red XOXO one) are black. The XOXO I usually reserve for a more sultry look. It's great with other things but I hate wearing it with white and that's another story. I felt like wearing white as per my other blog concerning the hunt for this cardigan, I woke up so ready to debut it at work and I must say, complements were rolling in. Chose to pair with pearls because I decided the cardigan would look amazing with it and the white tank.

Tank.

Rainbow?

I honestly don't remember, I bought it freshman or sophomore year of college. 

I'm narrowing it down to Rainbow, Rave or Burlington Coat Factory 

(I went through a phase Freshman year when I shopped there a lot)

Belt.

Michael Kors.

Staple. Worn here on the Espresso side.

Jeans.

Armani Exchange (by way of Plato's Closet)

They're getting a bit loose, which makes me happy. These were bought as fat jeans.

Shoes

Steve Madden.

Staple. I was filing today so I had to bring in the white Coach sandals as reinforcements. Did not expect that.

OOTD: A button down & jeans done right.

From behind

I love the material on this shirt!

From a distance

Closer view of the front.

Top.

Ross. 

I bought this during the time that I had no uniform at the restaurant. Since then I have an abundance of black tops lol I've actually stopped buying black tops because of that. In the past, I thought you couldn't have too much black but got tired of never having another option. I love the material on the shirt. It's textured and that gives it a more tailored look but at the same time it's soft & comfortable. I get lots of compliments on this shirt. The cut mimics the Express button downs so it's super classy but casual when I need it to be.

Jeans.

PacSun. 

I am barely fitting these jeans again as you can tell but it was nice to be able to button them and wear them out again. These were my go-to jeans once upon a time. Now I'm just happy to be able to button them again. Lol that's sad. That's what happens when you eat your feelings. Anyway, these jeans are a very strange length to dress them up. The color is right on the money- for me ideal! I die for indigo wash jeans- I honestly believe there is nothing better. However, these jeans are so skinny that its harder to wear with a lower heel so much that I have retired them (also because I couldn't fit them, but I could've tried with my body shaper) because it was way too frustrating to even try to wear them to work. The incline on these platforms makes them slide elegantly right into the skinny hemline.This it the first time I have worn these jeans with heels & been satisfied with the result.

Belt.

Michael Kors.

Staple. I said you'd be seeing a lot of this belt. I believe this is the first time that I have worn it on the espresso side. Usually it makes it on the platinum snakeskin side (sounds tacky but is so sexy) The espresso side is dark enough and neutral enough to be worn with black :) which benefits me greatly. It's glossy and patent which is a completely different look than the other side. 

A two sided belt is honestly the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Shoes.

Steve Madden.

Staple. I am obsessed with these shoes, I literally wear them every chance that I get. They're so boss! I've noticed that I've worn them with outfits that I've worn before and get way more compliments now! I guess shoes really do make the outfit. It may be the last time for a while that I make a shoevestment like that because I cannot afford to start supporting that habit. I just got off purses!

Ridiculous Deal: The swimsuit I've been waiting for for two years.

I saw this swimsuit in Victoria's Secret two years ago. I fell in love with it that day, but I was not going to pay 70$ plus tax to own it. I went to Orlando a couple of weeks ago and my cousin works in the Prime Outlets over there so while waiting for him to get off of work, I browsed and shopped. I ended up getting bits & pieces of my costume for Halloween this year and then went over to the Victoria's Secret, out of curiosity. 

I didn't even want anything from Victoria's. I just paid off the Angels Card that I ran up getting things for my possibly ex boyfriend. But I had an hour to burn before I went to lunch with my cousin, so I wen't in and discovered that they had swimsuits & the thought popped into my head to look for this one! I figured it was a long shot since it has been two years since the 2008 collection, but I was amazed to find it in my in my size as well- Small bottoms and a Large top. I have to make some alterations as my bust measures 28 (curse you small ribcage!) and the swimsuit hooks in the back rather than tying but I was happy with my purchase!

The best part is what happened at the register! I didn't realize that the top was the same price as the bottom :) (usually they jack up the price so the sale isn't as great as you think it is.) I walked away with both pieces for a grand total of $10.69. I won that day.

Ridiculous Deal: A new cardigan for the collection.

I've been in desperate need of a casual cardigan. I needed it neutral enough so that it can go with jeans or slacks & deviate from my normal black cardigan- they are staples but I did need something with a bit of versatility. So while getting my car serviced today, I decided that the hunt was on for a cardigan, navy blue or beige in color. I already own a grey one but was told that I should belt it to give it some shape.

So I set out to Express, my usual go-to spot for things that I need to last for a long time (& a sweater is no exception) and to no avail, I found nothing in the clearance section.

So I went down to Macy's (my failsafe) and looked around. My hunt led me through the entire clearance & I eventually gave up & realized that I would've purchased something clearance in Express for the same price. I purchased this sweater & I must say I believe it was worth the money I paid for it. Not only is it navy blue like I wanted but nice & fitted & casual but dressy enough to wear to work with a decent tank. It also has these cute little fabric rosebuds that give it an elegant look. I'm in love with this cardigan. I think you guys will be seeing a lot of it in the future.

Nailed: Tiger Nails

I used OPI in In My Back Pocket as a base & for the stripes used OPI in Black Onyx. I used the Konad Nail Art Stamping Kit.